Mountain Bike Pads

I have been getting more into mountain biking over the past year and would like a shoulder pad to cover and protect my ICD. So far all of the protectors I have found protect the chest more or are full on DH body armor. As I do mostly single track and some minor enduro style riding so full body armor is a no go. Does anybody have any suggestions for lightweight shoulder/chest protector for my device? THANKS!

6 Comments

Chest Protection

by Artist - 2014-12-06 10:12:10

I think that this is a very good issue. I feel uncomfortable driving my car since the seatbelt goes right over my pacemaker which was implanted 30 days ago. An accident could cause the seatbelt to impact the driver's PM with great force and damage it. I think that you might get more responses if you generalize your question so that you are asking about chest protection as it pertains to any sport or activity where there might be a danger of a forcible impact in the shoulder/chest area. I really would like to see someone design something that would reposition a seatbelt so that it does not cross the chest area so close to the PM and might also include some padding.

Length of silence

by Theknotguy - 2014-12-06 10:12:13

Used to work computer repair then moved up to network repair. When I had to call my support people you could tell how good the question was by the length of silence at the other end of the line. Looks like you picked a good question with this one. I'm thinking most people wouldn't consider mountain biking and pacemakers in the same sentence. Besides the silence you'll probably get some stony stares too.

My best guess is for you to contact body armor suppliers for the biking world directly, explain your situation and see if they can come up with a solution. However, since we live in the good ol' US of A, under Tort law where anyone can sue anybody at any time for any any thing, you'll probably have to sign an unabridged dictionary sized sheaf of hold harmless agreements.

Next option would be two write some letters to biking magazines and see what kind of response you get there. Talking with people who are in the sport may give you some shortcuts. Like I said, I normally don't think of mountain biking and pacemakers in the same sentence.
I thought I was living on the edge when I jump started a car and was leaning over a running engine.

Problem being, in my mind, is how you would combine enough material to safely cover your PM site while keeping it cool enough so you don't sweat to death while biking. I was thinking a halter type top but based upon some crashes I've seen you might end up after a wreck with your protection over your head. Which means it wouldn't be any protection at all. If you talk to women water skiers they'll tell you of the dangers of halter tops. After that, you'll be back to wearing a full shirt sized piece of body armor.

Sometimes you go from the leading edge to the bleeding edge and I think you're on the bleeding edge. Both literally and figuratively. Take it as a compliment that you can even do mountain biking with a pacemaker. Sets the bar a little higher for the rest of us and gives hope for the future.

Went into a bad afib session while out in the wilds. Ended up in a small rural hospital. Guy in the next room was there because of an ATV accident. Friend was telling him, "You shoulda seen the look on your face when you came around the boulder and smacked
head-on into that tree!" So pardon me when I shudder thinking of what can happen to you. Next question is what kind of body armor is going to protect you from that kind of impact. But some of us only feel alive when we're living on the edge.

I don't think you can damage the PM even with a direct hit. It's in a pretty strong case. Question in my mind is pulling the leads. Besides, if you had an accident that was strong enough to damage the PM, it would probably be the least of your worries - if you were still conscious that is.

Hope you can get some answers.

protection

by Tracey_E - 2014-12-07 01:12:47

I would consider one for full contact sports. Anything else, it's unlikely you'll need it but if it makes you feel better having it, here is a company that makes them
http://store.paceguard.com/


Even taking a hard hit directly to the device, it's going to bruise us long before it'll hurt the icd. It's titanium, you can't hurt it. I fell once, put my hand out to stop my face from going into the steel corner, handed fist to pacer. I had a fist shaped bruise for a few weeks, but the pm is fine. There used to be a video on Heartbeat International's website with a boy who got shot in the chest. The pm stopped the bullet and saved his live, and didn't stop pacing.

Artist, try wrapping a washcloth around the seatbelt to pad it a bit. They make padding just for that, but by the time you order it and receive it, you probably won't need it anymore. The soreness should go away as it heals more. Resist the urge to put the seatbelt under your arm or not wear it. We've had a few members mention not wearing the seatbelt, even get a drs note to make it legal to drive without it, but imo that's pretty dumb. Going through a windshield is a lot worse than bruising around the pm. We have had more than one member report back after a car accident. No damages to the pm. A seatbelt won't hurt it, even in an accident situation.

re: chest protection

by karma - 2014-12-10 03:12:26

I'm looking for the same chest protection just to be on the safe side for various activities. I was looking at the paceguard but my concern with it, will it stay in place when you need it the most. One idea I had was to take a archery chest guard and add some padding. There are various sizes and shapes and they cover both the chest and shoulder area on one side.

As for the seat belt I have tried the 'soft touch' but I find it does not stay in place so I moved it down a bit just enough to lift the belt off my chest (sometimes just my shirt touching my PM site can drive me crazy) Also stores such as canadian tire or home hardware sell a clip that moves the shoulder belt over and off the PM, unfortunately I don't remember what its called but can be found in the automotive section.

re:PM protection

by RDD - 2014-12-22 09:12:07

As stated by several others, I doubt that you need to worry about the pacemaker being injured by a fall. The Paceguard noted by TraceyE will cost you nearly $200.00 USD for special shirt and the guard...pretty pricey. I am old (72) but still mt.bike (much to my Doc's dismay), even though I have a PM and am on Coumadin ...but I wear full upper and lower body padded (Motocross style) gear. I'm not sure why you feel that the light-weight body-armor is a "No-No" for single track. There are many choices online and some are pretty light-weight. You can get a complete setup for less than the cost of the Paceguard. I don't worry too much about my PM being hurt...more about being anticoagulated and falling,so I try to be somewhat reasonable in where I ride.
I am curious if you have experienced the same problem with biking that I have.....it probably depends on what brand/type PM that you have. My PM is a Medtronic ADDR01 which has, like all Medtronic PM's, only an accelerometer and so basically responds only to vibrations (footstrikes). It does fine while running, hitting it's allowable max HR, but while hiking up steep hills or biking uphills, there is not enough "shaking" of the PM so it thinks that I am not exercising and drops toward or to base rate. I can accomodate to this somewhat by firm and rapid "tapping" on the PM directly but this is not possible while biking, so hills are a problem that may require a PM change to solve. I'd be interested in hearing your experience with this Golden_Snitch on this site is your go-to person for advanced info on this subject. Good Luck.

TLD padded shirt

by Tlocati - 2015-04-25 01:04:44

Covering more serious all-mountain and enduro, and taking you into DH, you should consider the Troy Lee Designs's padded shirt (has removable pads and is designed for warmer weather - long sleeve version also available). Wear it with a lightweight jersey over it and it's perfect for upper chest ICD protection.

For single track I use no protection and have taken a couple direct handlebar hits to the device. Smarts, but those things are tanks.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LLI4RE/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687682&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B005LLI6K4&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0XNQ8GBABYP4S8FDE95K

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